The Monstore: 07/17/13

The Monstore by Tara Lazar and illustrated by James Burks (of Bird and Squirrel on the Run is a delightful debut picture book. Zack has a pesky younger sister whom he wants to get out of his hair. He decides the best way to do this is to buy a pet monster from the monstore.

The monstore though, doesn't accept refunds. The first monster Zack purchases takes a liking to the pesky sister. Rather than see that his sister might not be frightened by monsters, he tries with another monster.

You can see where this is going. And so could my daughter, who happens to be (at least from my son's point of view) a monster loving pesky younger sister. There just couldn't be a better fit for my daughter and that shows with how many times she's re-read the book in the month she's own the book.

James Burks's illustrations are a great match to story. They are colorful and creative with each monster being unique and memorable — even the ones who don't play major roles in the book.